May 28, 2003

This week's Bulletin was written by Mary Engles

 

THIS WEEK’S MEETING - Announcements

President Gary Green called the meeting to order on a sunny May 28th, 2003 (the day before my birthday!) at 7:25am …a record early start for this group.  We checked Gary for bruises from his court ordeal last week and finding none, cheered him on to a plethora of announcements and news:

Ø      Gary announced that our Club would be receiving a Presidential Citation for Excellence at the next District Council meeting. This is quite an honor.  As a new member, I am quite proud to be part of this wonderful group.

Ø      A sign in sheet was circulated for the upcoming demotion party,..only three more meetings and Gary says he’s counting…6pm, June 24th at the San Diego Yacht Club. This event is free to members. Spouses and partners are welcome for $15.00. There will be no regular meeting that week.

Ø      We bid a Bon Voyage this week to President-elect Frank De Francesco and his wife as they leave for the Rotary International Conference in Brisbane, Australia.  They’ll be back in time for the “roast.”

Ø      Get well wishes again go out to Don Lang and Pete McGuire, both recovering from surgery. They project a return to duty of 7/31 and 6/18 respectively.

Ø      There is still time to become a PAUL HARRIS FELLOW via the La Jolla Rotary matching offer. In fact your stake may have improved considerably since our annual fundraiser is netting us close to 20K! Please call Gary immediately for further details.

Ø      The morning’s ceremonies started with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Ken Doyle and an Invocation by David Buro.  Jim Mulvaney and Jane Berry led us in the singing of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee.”

Ø      Peter Doody introduced an extensive roster of guests: non-rotarians, members of Rotaract, visitors from other clubs –especially Club 33. There were so many!  Welcome to you all.

Ø      As a final festivity, Gary auctioned off two tickets to Lamb’s Players Theatre donated by Ron Erbetta purchased by Maureen Eberle.  Enjoy Maureen!  Thanks Ron!

This Week’s Speakers

 

Jeff Dusek and Woody Clarke (Sorry, Woody!)

 

Member James Waters then introduced today’s much-anticipated speakers: Jeff Dusek and Woody Clarke, San Diego County Deputy District Attorneys, prosecutors in the People vs David Allen Westerfield, the landmark death penalty case which won them the award of Prosecutors of the Year from the San Diego County Bar Association and California Association of District Attorneys.

Messrs. Dusek and Clarke first used a few humorous video clips to highlight the importance of teamwork, especially acknowledging your partner and not whacking him in the nose in the courtroom!  They used a multimedia presentation to detail the power of carefully gathered and analyzed forensic evidence to substantiate an indictment for murder despite the absence of a body.  The prosecutors commended the skill and dedication of San Diego county forensic technicians, and even crediting a bit of luck, in tracking down crucial items of evidence: small dried blood stains from Danielle van Dam, fingerprints, single fibers in multiple loci to tighten the case against David Westerfield.  Mr. Dusek shared how the media was both an asset and a liability in the case, citing on the one hand finding useful ideas on internet chat rooms to gain additional information from existing evidence and on the other hand hearing the media use misinformation to enflame the public sentiment and revile the prosecutors!  In a fitting conclusion, Messrs. Dusek & Clarke played a beautiful audio-visual tribute to Danielle compiled by her mother, Brenda van Dam.

 

Home - Calendar of Events - Getting Involved - Member Info

Service Committees - Bulletin - Links

Created by David Tereschuck of:

Copyright © 2000